This invention relates to globes and, in particular, to a novel type of fully-rotational illuminated globe.
Illuminated globes are desirable to consumers because they are attractive, easier to read and provide better definition of features on the surface of the globe than traditional non-illuminated globes. At the same time, it is highly desirable for an illuminated globe to be fully and freely rotational through 360.degree. about its polar axis so that the entire surface of the globe may be examined without moving the base of the globe. Most illuminated globes that are available today are not fully and freely rotational about their axis because the electrical wiring for the lamp fixture in these globes passes from the surface portion of the globe directly to an electrical outlet. Thus, as the globe is rotated, the wiring becomes entangled about the axis support for the globe, making it unsafe, and in some cases impossible, to rotate the globe about its axis.
Numerous attempts have been made to provide an illuminated globe which is fully and freely rotational about its axis support member. For example, the following patents are all addressed to various facets of the problem of creating such an illuminated, rotational globe: U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,932,907 (Stieber, et al); 2,515,400 (Dupler); 2,345,800 (Dupler); 2,339,385 (Dupler); 2,200,821 (Colberg); 2,177,352 (Dupler); 2,127,249 (Dupler); 2,115,372 (Peterson); 2,099,518 (Hazlett); 2,027,156 (Dupler); 1,335,923 (Schrenkeisen).
However, the prior attempts to create an illuminated globe are either inoperable in practice, prohibitively expensive, or will not meet the rigid safety requirements of independent testing agencies, such as Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. Hence, these earlier attempts to create a rotational illuminated globe have not been successful, and in particular, have not been commercially successful.